Heroin has become increasingly popular in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. Why this area and why this drug? Health24 investigated.
The opportunity for the drug to hit the South African market came about just after the 1994 election, when border controls became more relaxed.
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“In the past year or two, the drug has gained popularity and become far easier to obtain in the northern suburbs,” says Andreas Plüddemann, senior scientist at the Medical Research Council.
He says the northern suburbs definitely have become an area of concern. The drug is now easily obtainable across the Cape Metropole, particularly in areas such as Table View, Durbanville, Bellville and Somerset West. He says affluence is part of the reason why these areas have become such drug hotspots.
But what’s so special about heroin?
Heroin makes the user feel euphoric, older, part of ‘the crowd’, special, confident, and rebellious. To many, this can be very appealing. People would not be using heroin if they thought there were no advantages to it. It is the danger that makes heroin so appealing. No one starts using it to become an addict.
“Teens do realise the consequences before taking heroin, but have an attitude of ‘it won’t happen to me’,” according to Plüddemann.
Teenagers tend to replace their family structure with a support network of friends. It is therefore easier to be influenced by others through peer pressure. Acceptance plays a very important role in a young person’s life and if going to the extremes of taking drugs is the case for some, then so be it.
“The most popular age where people start using heroin is in their early-twenties. By the time they go into rehabilitation, they can usually already be in their mid-twenties.
“There are some teenage addicts, but the majority of users are over the age of 18. The youngest addict in the northern suburbs was around the age of 13 or 14,” according to Plüddemann.
Heroin is highly addictive. Not only does it take control of the user mentally, but physically too. It can lead to general degeneration and lack of function and many addicts will lie, cheat and steal as they become desperate for that ‘next fix’.
Users get their money from parents giving them too much pocket money, or they sell household goods such as CDs, cellphones, hi-fis and television sets.
In Cape Town, most heroin users smoke the drug. Spiking (injecting drugs) has however become more common amongst whites. According to statistics, heroin addicts are generally middle-class - 75% men and 25% women.
Plüddemann says crime has not yet become a major problem with regards to heroin addiction. A recent survey showed only 13% of the 250 people interviewed, had been arrested for petty crimes.
Rehab and heroin
According to Plüddemann, the recovery rate is very poor. “With heroin addiction, usually more than one rehabilitation session is needed.”
The Safety Net is a home in Bellville that attempts to reintegrate addicts, who have left a rehabilitation centre, back into society. The programme helps them to stay clean and encourages them to obtain work and make a living for themselves. The home is also in the process of starting up a series of small businesses.
Michael Warne, from the Safety Net, feels that rehabilitation centres are effective in the detoxification process, but once these patients are discharged, there is no support.
The withdrawal process, also known as ‘cold turkey’ occurs approximately ten hours after the last dosage. The addict falls into a state of intense depression and experiences muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Rapid shivers and muscle spasms also occur and the symptoms increase over a few days. The detoxification/withdrawal process can last up to ten days. In some cases, withdrawal symptoms can be fatal.
“Many people leave rehabilitation centres and return to their same socio-economic circumstances. Within a matter of days, they are back into the same patterns, causing relapse. Most merchants deliver, so it is far easier to get hold of drugs these days.
“There are however those who have managed to stay clean and are doing really great,” says Warne.
Speedballing: A lethal cocktail
Heroin is often mixed with other dangerous additives such as rat poison and chalk (mixing heroin with other substances is also known as ‘speedballing’). When taken intravenously, the user cannot detect these additives through taste and smell, therefore, they are at an increased risk of poisoning.
“Many addicts try a range of drugs and eventually decide on a drug of choice. The current trend seems to be to start off with weed (dagga), but eventually, some users start looking for more. Heroin is the end of the line.
“Many heroin addicts come from dysfunctional or abusive families. Heroin is a form of escapism,” according to Warne. But does taking heroin solve problems in the long run?
Users get the money to pay for their habit from their parents. “Parents give their children far too much money and not enough love,” according to Warne. “Peer pressure is also a big problem.”
The fight against heroin
Parents should try to develop an open relationship with their child. Taking an interest in them, and giving them as much love and attention as possible, might just help.
Plüddemann says the best way to put a stop to heroin trafficking is targeting the top organised crime syndicates and finding ways of how the drug is filtered into the country.
Many people these days feel as if there is no hope for those addicted to heroin. Once they hear of someone with a heroin problem, they ‘write them off’ and want nothing to do with them. “There is hope. You just need to be practical,” says Warne.
A few reasons why teens take drugs is to:
relieve stress
relieve boredom
forget or escape problems
become a rebel and a risk taker
escape difficult decisions
feel special
satisfy curiosity
Parents who suspect their child may be a heroin addict should look out for:
bent and blackened teaspoons
foil lying around the house, especially in the bedroom
matchboxes
syringes
needle marks
unidentified tablets or capsules
tourniquet
(Matthew Louw, Health24, August 2005)
For more information on the Safety Net, contact Michael Warne at (021) 949 9887 or 076 390 6050
The following organisations would be able to direct you to the most suitable treatment centre in your area: Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (021) 447 8026 or Narcotics Anonymous 088 129 6791
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